A communication system includes a collection of components that communicate, manipulate, and process information in a variety of ways. The system may support different access technologies, such as frame relay, circuit services, and new and evolving connection-based or connectionless services, that communicate information, such as data, voice, and video. Switches in the communication system employ hardware and software to route information generated by access technologies to an intended destination.
Different types of information cells may be used by a communication switch to relay information. One type of cell may be an internal cell which is transmitted over connections or links within the switch. Another type of cell, such as a standard asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell, can be used to convey information to equipment external to the switch. In some cases, an internal cell may comprise more bytes of information than a standard ATM cell. If information within such an internal cell needs to be used outside of the switch, a single standard ATM cell is not sufficient to transport all of the information contained in the internal cell.